Improvement in machines for welding and finishing chain-links



ZS-hetS-Sheetl B. HERSHEY.

MACHINES FOR WELDING AND FINISHING CHAIN-LINKS.

.No. 193,083. P nted July 1 ,1877".

N-PETERS, PHOTOU:IHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

' 2Sheets-Sheet2. v B. HERSHEY.

MACHINES FOR WELDING AND FINISHING CHAIN-LINKS.

193 033, Patented July 17,1877.

I V 7.7 i

"Wkwaws ITED STAT' BENJAMIN HERSHEY, OF EBIFJASSIGNCR TO PITTSBUBG CHAIN AND CAR LINK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW BRIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR WELDING AND FINISHING CHAIN-LINKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 193,083, dated July 17, 1877; application filed June 20, 1877. 3

(less: A.

To all whom it mayconcern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN HERSHEY, of Erie, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Welding and Finishing Chain-Links, of which the following is a specification:

My improvements relate to machines for welding and finishing chain-links.

My invention embraces a peculiar system of combined swaging and compressing dies for giving the final form to a chain-link after it has been welded in swaging-dies resembling those described in the Letters Patent of the United'States No. 166,372, issued to me as assignor, &c., August 3, 1875.

My invention also consists in the peculiar organization of the machine, in which the welding-dies and my new finishing-dies are combined, as a result of which the machine is simplified in construction, and its convenience of operation is greatly facilitated.

The accompanying drawings are as follows: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine, showing the drop frame or gate which carries the drop-dies in the elevated position which it assumes, and in which it is sustained by a stop when the parts are thrown out of engagement with the cams on the driving-shaft. Fig. 2-is an elevation on the side where the power is applied. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the line m as on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse longitudinal section through the line y y on Fig. 3, showing the toggle-joint for reciprocating the endwise-compressing die Q. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the machine through the line 2 2 on Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the bed-plate A affords supportfor the upright frame, consisting of the standards B B and the cross-piece B The standards-B B are provided with horizontal bearings for the cam-shaft H, and have, near thetop, offsets b b, which afl'ord vertical bearings for the gate-bars d and d.

The gate is composed of the vertical bars d and d, which are bolted at the top to the cross-piece C, to which the swa'ging-dies e and f are secured. At the lower ends the gatebars (1 and d are bolted to the cross-piece C and wedge P which receives the thrust of the lifting'cam I 0 which operates to raise the gate preparatory to letting the drop-dies e and f fall upon the stationary dies 0 and J.

The stationary dies are screwed to the dieholder B which is supported upon the crosspiece B of the frame. Torsion-springs N are introduced above the cross-piece C of the gate, for the purpose of giving additional force to the gate in its downward movement.

The stop-lever O is pivoted at its lower end to the bed-plate A. Its upper end is bent outward, as shown at Fig. 3, and passes through a slotted opening, 0 in the hinged plate N to the under side of which the torsionsprings N are affixed.

By the upward movement of the plate N the upper end 0 of the stop-lever is pulled toward the gate, and a spring-latch, O is thus brought under the cross-piece C and prevents the descent of the gate when the machine is not in use.

In the general arrangement of the parts so far referred to, the machine in its organization resembles that shown and describedin the Letters Patent No. 166,373, granted to me August 3, 1875.

In the present machine, however, I provide two sets of dies-welding-dies and finishingdies. The welding-dies are composed of the swaging-die e and the stationary die 6, and are substantially like those heretofore used by me, and described in my various Letters Pat ent.

The finishing-dies f and f act in conjunction with the compressing-dies, by the operation of which the link, at the instant before it is struck by the drop-die f, is compressed both endwise and. sidewise. The sidewise compression of the link is imparted by the rocking die P, one end of which is forced toward the die by the wedge P affixed to the side of the gate-bar d, while, at the same time, the opposite end of the rocker P is pressed outward by the wedge P on the side of the pitman Q?. A spring, P holds the inner end of the rocker P against the side of the pitman Q The endwise compression of the link is effected by the reciprocating concave-faced dieQ, which is operated by the togglejoir'it Q The necessary movement to the toggle-joint is given by means of two parallel pitmen, Q and Q which are pinned together at their lower ends by the pin Q which passesthrough theslot Q in the camlever Q This cam-lever is pivoted to the rear standard G, which is aflixed to the -bedplate at the rear of the machine, and which is bent inward, and at itsupper end affords a support to the bed q, upon which the togglejoint Q and the compressingdie Q are supported.

The togglepitinen Q Q are pulleddownward by the action of the cam-lever Q but when the cam-lever Q is released from the.

cam Q", the tcggle-pitman is thrown upward (thus withdrawing the die Q) by the action of thetorsion-spring Q one end of whichis af= fixed to thebed-pla-te A, while the other end engages-the pitma-n- Q The cam-lever Q is capable of a slight lateral motion, so that when not in use it can be-thrown out of gear with the cam by the action-of the spiral spring Q on the pin Q The torsion-springs" N are secured on the underside of the plate N the rear end of which ispivoted'to the back'standard G. The spring-plate N is pulled downward =when-the machine is in operation-by the cam N acting upon the crooked-arm N whichis secured-to the spring plate N by the pivot N. The spring-plate arm N is pulled" forward into position to be acted uponby the cam'N- by means of the foot-lever R, which is hung upon the pivot R immediately underthe camshaft H.

The back end 11 0f the foot-lever is bent upward, and passes through an eye or slot in the plate'R which is secured to the springplate arm N The spiral spring R is secured to the bedplate atone end, and to the upper'end of the footlever R and tends to pull the end B backward, and thus to pull the arm N out of the range of motion of the cam N Whentheouter end of the foot-lever R is pushed downward the side of the foot-lever acts upon the inclined side of-the end-s of the rocker S, the opposite end of which, s strikes against-the side of the cam-lever Q and tends to throw the cam-lever under the cam Q", in position to be engaged and forced downward by the cam in its revolution.

It-will be seen that in the machine which forms the basis of my present application, which I have designated Case A, the link, after being welded in the welding-dies, is finished bybeing subjected to the combined action'of swaging-dies and both endwiseand sidewise compressing dies.

I have made a separate application, of even date-herewith, which I have designated Case B, for-a patent for a chain-link machinein whichthe preliminary welding operation is dispensediwith, the link being welded and finished simultaneously by-the combined operationof swaging dies for welding andvv anendwise-compressing die,which :isldeeply recessed, and, by means of its projecting side wings, administers sidewise as well as endwise compression to the link.

In the presentv case the endwise-compressing die has no projecting side wings," and does not act upon the sides of the link, the sidewise compression being efi'ected by the action of the rocking die P.

In the presentcase the link is supported against the sidewise thrust of the rocking die P by the opposite wall T of the finishing-die chamber; The linkis supported against the thrust of the endwise-compressing-die Q by To operate my machinethe foot-lever 'R is depressed. The downward movement ofthe foot-lever, acting through therocker S, throws the cam-lever Q under the cam Q", and pulls forward the torsion spring-plate arm N in position to be acted upon by the cam N Thecam N in its-revolution acting upon the arm: N7

pulls the torsion spring-plate N down, and" compresses the ends of the torsionspring: N upon the cross-piece G of the gate. By: the downward movement of the torsion -springplate N1 the: inner end of the slot 0 acting uponthe inclined upper end 0 of the stoplever, pushes the stop-lever outward, and pushes the spring-latch O -beyond the planeof movementof the-cross-pieceO thus-permitting the gate: to-rise and-fall with'veach revolution of the: lifting-cam C The link to be welded is introduced into the welding-dies before the foot-lever is de= pressed, and after the linkh-as been subjected to the requisite number of blows the foot'ot' the operator is removed I from the foo t=lever, which rises, andthus permits the stop-lever to actin preventing the- -further descent of the gate, while the operator removes the link from the welding-dies tothe finishing-dies. When this removal has been eflected the lever is again depressed, and thedrop-dief'fallsupon the link at the instant after the rocking; die P has compressed the link sidewise against the wall T of the finishing-die chamber, and the reciprocating die Q has compressed it endwise against theback rest T.

Inmaking certain sizes of chain-ibis: desirable to have a little extra room inthe chamber where the linksare-welded I: am enabled to have this extra room in my welding die chamber, because of -'my provision forthe supplementary operation of reducing the link in the finishing-dies to theexact widthand length required, The endwise and" sidewise compression corrects any expansion of' the link which may have been-effected by the ac,- tion of the welding-dies:

My end-compressing die Q performs the further ofiioe of compressing those parts of the weld-joint which are not subjected to the direct vertical action of the swaging-dies f and f I claim as my invention, in an organized machine for welding and finishing chaiulinksl. The series of dies shown and described,

7 consisting of the'welding-dies e and e and the 4. The foot=leverR, in combination with a rocker, S, and pivoted arm N, for the purposes of throwing the cam-lever Q into position to be acted upon by the toggle-cam Q",

and simultaneously bringing the arm N into the range of motion of the spring'plate cam N and thus enabling the cam N to depress the spring-plate N and thereby bring the spring N into action, and dislodge the stoplatch 0 from the under end of the die frame or gate, substantially as set forth.

5. The toggle-cam Q", in combination with the pitmen Q and Q, the latter provided with the wedge P, by the operation of which the toggle-die Q and the rocking die P are simultaneously brought into action, substantially as described.

BENJAMIN HERSHEY.

Witnesses WM. WARWICK, GEo. L. SMITH. 

